On Girls, Helicopters and Catching on Fire
by Leca B
Summary: Leo had enough trouble talking to girls without throwing a miniature helicopter at her head and setting himself on fire soon after. He knew demigods had bad luck, but this was just ridiculous. He must have been some evil lord's minion in a past life, because there was no way you could gather that much bad karma in only sixteen years, but, hey, he's in love again. Side Percabeth


A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoy this little story. It was meant to be a short story, with two or three chapters, but I got lazy and left it here. If people like it I can continue it though. I came up with this because, let's be honest, Leo's awesome. And he needs some love. Team Leo!

**On Girls, Helicopters and Catching on fire**

Leo tried not to get too bothered by it, but when all your friends are in pairs, they occasionally declare 'making Leo uncomfortable day'. They didn't do it on purpose, of course, they didn't even do it very openly. They didn't make out in front of him, or start cuddling together in their seats, or – gods forbid – gush at each other. No, they weren't that bad, and he was thankful. But still, the little things got to him. It was that look that Piper got, staring at Jason dreamily until he stared back just as silly. Or when Percy and Annabeth started bantering in conversations full of private jokes and flirtatious undertones. Even Hazel and Frank sometimes made him feel like an intruder, when they got all cutesy-clumsy around each other. They didn't meanto make him feel like the seventh wheel, but he kind of just was. He wasn't as disturbed by it as he had been once, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. He had been having exactly one of those days, and when the organic life forms got too much, he retreated to his comfort zone. Only the way to his comfort zone was about to become pretty uncomfortable.

Leo heard her before he saw her. He was making his way through the forest to Bunker 9, going to check out on his pride and joy, when the soft strumming of guitar chords called his attention. It was calm and harmonious, sounded nice. He shrugged, walking ahead. There was a lot of people in Camp Half-Blood, he figured eventually someone would try to find refuge from all the buzz and excitement, the forest was a good place to escape from it. The more he walked, the louder the sound became. He guessed the person must have been close to the path he used through the woods.

The person was right in the path, he found soon after. It was a girl, about his age, with braided strawberry blond hair, sitting on the grass and leaning against a tree. Her fingers moved lazily across the strings as she played the guitar. She had her head lowered, looking down at her instrument, so he couldn't see her face. He didn't remember seeing her before. That was when the little helicopter he had assembled earlier from the scrap metal in his pocket decided that it was the perfect moment to leave his pants. It slipped out of his pocket, turning its helices with effort. Leo panicked, he started forward to get it back, but it flew away. He ran ahead, stretching his arm to get it, but all he managed was making noise and calling the attention of the girl. She looked up.

Good news: She was really pretty.

Bad news: He knocked the helicopter with his hand and it flew straight into her forehead.

Leo hid his face in his hand embarrassedly. He knew demigods had bad luck, but this was just ridiculous. He must have been some evil lord's minion in a past life, because there was no way you could gather that much bad karma in only sixteen years of life. The girl dropped her guitar, hands flying to her forehead.

"Ow! What the Hades?" she cursed, looking up at him with a glare.

The good part? She didn't look hurt.

The bad part? She was glaring up at him like she might hurt him.

The terrible, terrible part? She looked kind of cute doing it.

He groaned when the last thought crossed his mind. Why, why did he have to fall for every pretty girl that wanted to kill him?

"Not again!" he mumbled into his hands. The girl looked offended.

"Excuse me? Do you go around throwing stuff at people's faces?"

"No!" he said quickly. "I'm sorry! It was an accident. Son of Hephaestus, sometimes things just go crazy around me." He chuckled sheepishly. She looked at him doubtfully.

"Shouldn't they function properly around you?" she asked annoyedly, poking the runaway helicopter suspiciously.

"Yes, they should. I mean, they do. It's just sometimes things just… Sort of come to life." He tried explaining. His hands were getting clammy, he stuck them in his pockets to stop them from fumbling. He twirled a piece of scrap metal and tried not to look so nervous. Why was he so nervous? "Uh… I'm sure you understand, what's your olympian parent?"

He had been hoping she would say something like Dionysius, so he could say it must be the same thing with the plants for her, but after he asked, it got him to think. Who _was_ it? Aphrodite? With his luck, it would be one of the stuck up Cabin Ten chicks who didn't even acknowledge he was alive. Or worse. What could be worse? Oh, yeah. Cabin Six. Pretty and deadly. Yep, that must be it. Athena girl.

"Apollo." She said with an eyebrow raised.

Sure, why not? That was pretty deadly too.

"Uh, oh, cool. I mean, can you do something because of it?" she huffed indignantly.

"Are you calling me useless?" he struggled with the words, growing even more nervous.

"No! I didn't mean it like that… Look, I'm sorry…" he pleaded, hoping she'd stop making that angry face. He wasn't good with words or people, especially girls, he got so tongue tied around them, he ended up making stupid jokes and acting like an idiot. Sometimes he felt like he might throw up.

"You're on fire." She cut him off suddenly, her pretty caramel eyes widening. He berated himself. This wasn't the time to think about pretty caramel eyes, she was going to kill him… What?

"I'm… Uh, thanks?" he said unsurely.

"No! You're on fire!" she screamed, standing up quickly. Now that she mentioned it, he did feel that familiar warmth of burning. He looked down at himself. His left arm was on fire.

"Holly…" he started. He should have known. He was so nervous, it was bound to happen. The girl neared, guitar in hand.

"Stand still, I'm going to…"

"Whack me with a guitar?" he asked, tone going up a pitch. "Look, I told you I'm sorry!"

"YOUR ARM IS ON FIRE! You can apologize later!" he opened his mouth in comprehension.

"What? This? No, don't worry…"

"DON'T WORRY?" she swung the guitar. He dodged it.

"Woah, lady, what happened to drop and roll?" he complained.

"You're right! Drop and roll!" she screamed at him.

"No! Wait, it's alright, it's just something that I do sometimes…"

"You catch on fire?" she shrieked. He hesitated.

"Well, yeah, but…"

"I'm gonna get Percy…" she started toward the path.

"No, it's fine! It's not hurting me! I'm okay, really. I can control it, I just need to concentrate." The girl didn't look convinced. She stayed half-way to the path, ready to run for help. "Really. Look."

He forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and concentrating. It was alright. He was alright. Chill. It was just him and… Buford. Yeah, Buford. No Apollo girl with strawberry blonde hair and pretty eyes. The heat in his arm increased, he heard the girl shriek. Woah, down boy. Calm down. He managed it, the warmth dimished until it finally disappeared. He opened his eyes. The flames were gone, his sleeve was smoking. The girl was still there, looking at him like he had grown another head and she suspected another one would pop out.

"See?" he said stupidly.

"How… What…" she shook her head. "Is this another son of Hephaestus thing?"

"Yeah… Sort of."

"You just… Catch on fire." She sounded calm. Too calm. A clear sign she was freaking out inside.

"Well, usually I just do it when I want, but sometimes I lose control…"

"You wanted to set me on fire?" she screeched, anger coming back to her face.

"No! I never…"

"You're smoking again." She pointed out. His right sleeve was giving off a grey smoke.

"Damn it!" he cursed frustratedly. Why couldn't he just like a girl? Just talk to her without stuttering, getting panic attacks or setting himself on fire? The smoke increased.

"What are you doing?" he dropped his arms, sighing.

"Look, I'm sorry about the helicopter thing, and for… All this." He waved his hands, gesturing to himself, turning around and trudging down the path towards Bunker 9.

"Will you be alright?" she called out in an alarmed voice. He could feel his cheeks burning. Maybe he had set them on fire too, he thought sarcastically.

"Just perfect!" he threw over his shoulder, lifting his hand as a goodbye and walking away.

He could feel a prickling sensation on the back of his head, as if she was stared at him all the path long, until he disappeared from her view.

Leo was embarrassed. He was really embarrassed. He couldn't believe he had set himself on fire because of a girl he had just met made him nervous. He had worked so hard to make the fire thing look cool, and it had all gone down the drain because of a pair of pretty eyes. Now he was just the freak who just caught on fire sometimes. You're a casual drinker? How interesting, I'm a casual pyromaniac. He slapped his forehead, leaving a black smudge of grease behinf. He tried to wipe it off with the back of his hand, but only managed to spread it wider. He dropped his arms.

Well, fuck that.

Buford flew around in circles happily. He was very satisfied now that he had been polished, with the right polisher too. Festus was down for repair, he was working on him, comfortably standing on his neck, leaning over his head, pulling pieces out and putting them back in. Leo missed his hisses and squeaks, they had become a famliar, soothing sound. He stopped, laying his head against the metal of Festus's scales. Why couldn't he be normal and feel at ease with his friends and fellow campers? Why did he have to feel like he belonged between his projects? People and their feelings confused him, terrified him at times. He snorted. How was he going to get a girl if he prefered machines to human beings? He couldn't build himself a girlfriend.

Well, he could, but how lame would that be?

"Leo?" somebody called from the door.

The voice echoed through the bunker, startling him. He jumped, nearly falling off Festus's neck. He was expecting one of his siblings, but when he turned around, it was just Percy.

"Oh, hey, man." He greeted awkwardly. It wasn't that he didn't like him, they were pretty good friends. It was just that sometimes, when Leo looked at him, his brain did the favor of recapituling all of the amazing things the guy had done, and he had to remind himself that this was just Percy, Jason's cousin, Annabeth's boyfriend, not someone who will zap him for saying something wrong.

"Hey, Annabeth's been looking for you. She wants your help with his project…" he started, but stopped, pointing at Leo's forehead. "You've got something on your face."

"Is it the mark of eternal shame?" he grumbled.

"Uh… No, I think it's grease." Percy said with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh." Leo picked up the cloth on his shoulder, found a clean spot and rubbed the smudge clean. Percy approached him, walking around Festus.

"I know this guy. But he was in much worse shape back then." Leo stopped, looking down to him with interest.

"You knew Festus?"

"Oh, yeah. He tried to kill me during Capture the Flag once. Good times."

Leo thought he was joking, but when he looked at him, he had a sad, wistful air, poking Festus's scales dejectedly, like he actually missed those times.

"So, you wanna talk about this whole mark of eternal shame thing?" Leo groaned, making him chuckle.

"No, not really."

"That bad?"

"Pretty much." Percy shook his head, dropping his arms and taking a step back.

"Okay. Well, I'm just going to leave Annabeth's notes… Uh… Here." He left a rolled up scroll on top of one of the many worktables. "You should get back soon, it's almost dinner time."

"Fine. Tell Annabeth I'll take a look at them later."

"Will do." He was half-way to the door when he stopped and turned around. "If it makes you feel better, I've had my fair share of embarrassing moments. And some of them were live in olympian television."

"No way." Leo sent him a doubtful look. No way somebody could have a more embarrassing history than him.

"Well, try to fumble with TV Olympus channels. You might come across a re-run of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase in the Thrill Ride O' Love." Leo gaped at him.

"What?"

"We were on a quest. Got tricked by Ares. Long story. Embarrassing story. The gods love it, or so says Apollo."

"Man…" Leo said commiseratingly. This guy really had some damn rotten luck.

"Yeah. I've got a lot of those." He said with a frown, like he had just realized how many of them there were. Leo wrinkled his nose.

"Have you ever thrown a miniature helicopter in a girl's forehead and then set yourself on fire because she made you nervous?" he asked, grimacing at the memory. He expected Percy to laugh, but he looked like he was actually considering it.

"Ran Rachel through with a sword when we first met." He offered at last. Leo's head snapped back to him.

"For real?"

"Yeah… She caught me by surprise. Thought she was a monster. It was really lucky she is mortal…"

"You thought she was a monster?" he asked skeptically.

"Long story."

"Are all your stories long?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

It was in that moment that Leo's stomach did the favor of growling loudly.

"Well, looks like I'll be finishing this tomorrow." He said, doing a quick work of assembling Festus's circuits so he'd function again. He didn't like the idea of his little dragon being vulnerable.

"You could tell me about this girl you like while we walk back." Leo almost fell out of his dragon. He flushed scarlett.

"I never said I liked her."

"Please. You set yourself on fire because she made you nervous. Besides, you tried to kill her. Clearly you like her." Percy said with a wave of his hand.

Leo had the vague impression that it should have sounded weirder, but the funny thing was, it made a lot of sense. They started making their way back to camp.

"Did you try to kill Annabeth a lot?"

"No, but she tried to kill me a lot. You know, now that you mention, one of those times was when Festus' was still a crazy dragon…"

"Let me guess. It's a long story."

"How did you know?"


End file.
